The Collective
by Schizophrenic-Rebel
Summary: Picard gets a new replacement for Ensign Wesley Crusher; and he gets assigned to the Klingon/Federation Neutral Zone to moniter Borg activity. (Sounds like fun, huh?)
1. Chapter One

Disclaimer : ***Ok....we do not own anything, I repeat, ANYTHING from STAR TREK. Except L'Arrin/Joanna....she was our own creation :-) (so we lied....just don't sue us!)***  
  
  
  
  
  
The Collective  
  
By Amy & Amber  
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He walked past the consoles, conduits, pipes, machinery, and hibernating Borg. He had a purpose in his stride. He was going to the assimilation chamber. But, not to be assimilated. He was already part of the collective. No, he was going to watch one of his dear old friends be assimilated into the hive. He got to the chamber and entered his name into the computer. Locutus. He turned and walked into the chamber, and saw the Klingon struggling to free himself. The Borg in charge of assimilating ignored his struggles. Locutus walked up to the Klingon so the Klingon could see his face. "Resistance is futile," he said. The Klingon gave a huge bellow, and almost ripped free of the assimilation chair. Before he could, though, the needle came down and pierced his head. Worf gave another howl, but was abruptly stopped as he was slowly assimilated into the collective.  
  
  
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Chapter One  
  
Captain Jean-Luc Picard, of the USS Enterprise, woke with a start. He was sweating fiercely, and he was afraid. He had been having these nightmares again and again since Commander Shelby had told him that the Enterprise was to go to the Klingon Neutral Zone to patrol for Klingon-Borg activities. He put on his uniform, deciding that at a time like this, right after a nightmare, it would be best to go to the bridge. He was about to walk out of his room, when his communicator chirped. He hit it, and said, "Captain here."   
"Captain," he heard first officer Commander Riker say, "Commander Shelby is on subspace frequency twelve. She says she has the replacement for Ensign Crusher."   
"Oh, good," Picard said. "I'll take it right away."  
He sat down at his desk and opened the link to Commander Shelby, who was in charge of the continued Federation efforts to keep the Borg under control.   
"Hello, Captain, how are you?" Commander Shelby's face smiled at Picard from his console.   
"Fine, Commander, thank you. I heard that you've found the replacement for Ensign Crusher?" Ensign Wesley Crusher, Dr. Crusher's son, had gone to the Starfleet Academy two days before the Enterprise had gotten assigned to the new mission.   
"Yes, Captain," Shelby said, "and I think that you'll find her an adequate replacement. But, you'll have to pick her up off of Vulcan. Her name is L'Arrin."   
Captain Picard was surprised. "My new crew member is a Vulcan?"   
Shelby paused for a moment, then said, "As far as I know. Anyway, she'll be waiting for you on Spacedock 12 in three and a half days." Picard nodded, acknowledging that, and he ended the communication. Then he went up to the bridge and had Commander Data change course to rendezvous with L'Arrin on Vulcan.  
  
  
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What's gonna happen next?? You will have to keep reading to find out!! Please R&R!   
:-) 


	2. Chapter Two

Chapter Two  
Well today was the day. In exactly one hour, L'Arrin would be meeting with the USS Enterprise at Space dock 12. L'Arrin was, of course, early. As she was waiting, she thought about what she was doing. She was leaving her home. Leaving it for the vastness of space. But that was okay. There was a job to be done, and, as logic dictates, someone had to do it. No matter how messy it got. Just then a man brushed by her.   
"Oh I'm sorry," he said "I didn't see you there.   
What a strange man, thought L'Arrin. He was bald, and he carried himself with a certain ere of dignity. She also noticed his uniform, identifying him as a star ship captain.   
"I thought Vulcan's were supposed to be on time. . ." he muttered.  
"Excuse me, sir," L'Arrin interrupted his musings, "but may I ask who you are looking for? I may be able to help."  
"Yes, I am Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the USS Enterprise. I am looking for a person called, L'Arrin," he said, glancing down at his data pad.   
"I am L'Arrin" she said, "I am looking forward to working with you and your crew."  
Captain Picard eyes widened in surprise. "But you're a human!"   
L'Arrin looked at him and raised her eyebrow. "Are you not human too?"  
Captain Picard regained his composure and replied, "Well, I'm sorry, I was just expecting a Vulcan."  
L'Arrin nodded a sharp nod and she and Captain Picard walked towards the docking bay where the shuttle waited to take them back up to the Enterprise. L'Arrin was nervous, but with a true Vulcan air she looked as placid as ever.   
When they got onto the ship, Commander Riker, Dr. Crusher, and Commander Data were waiting to greet the new Ensign. Riker and Crusher both looked surprised when they saw she was human, but Data walked up to her and said, "Hello. I am Data, and I am an android. I would love to teach you how to play poker, if you do not already know how to play." Data had been learning how to play poker from Riker, and when he said this, everyone except himself and L'Arrin laughed. Captain Picard introduced everyone, and L'Arrin told them that she wanted to be called by her human name, Joanna. Then she was escorted by a security officer to her quarters, where she would rest until tomorrow.  
  
  
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So how do you like L'Arrin/Joanna?? Kinda Vulcany don't you think?? Please R&R :-) 


	3. Chapter Three

Chapter III  
  
Joanna woke up to the sound of the door chime. She got up and smoothed her pajamas as she said, "Come." The door opened and Commander Riker walked in. He saw that he had woken her, and he grinned good-naturedly. "Sorry to wake you, but the Captain wants to meet with you in his Waiting Room, to brief you on our new mission." Joanna grimaced inwardly, but, using her Vulcan training, showed no emotion. "All right, Commander, tell Captain Picard that I will be right there." Riker nodded and walked out, trying hard not to laugh. Joanna put on her uniform, mumbling about Starfleet not being able to let their new officers sleep in the first day of duty (because while she was by herself she would permit herself to show emotion), and when she had her uniform on she went to the Waiting Room.   
  
When she got there, Captain Picard and Dr. Beverly Crusher were waiting for her. "Good morning, Captain, and Doctor," she said stiffly. Dr. Crusher smiled warmly and replied, "Good morning." Captain Picard gestured to a seat and said, "Please, sit." Joanna sat, and Dr. Crusher turned to Picard and told him that she would be in sickbay if he needed her. He nodded, and she left. "Now, Joanna, we are assigned a mission that could be dangerous. We have been assigned to the Klingon Neutral Zone to patrol for Borg activities with the Klingons." Joanna's eyes had widened, and she had slid a little lower in her seat, but Picard hadn't noticed, so he continued, "You are going to be our second helmsman, and doing other various tasks around the ship . . ." He then noticed Joanna's reaction and called for sickbay. Dr. Crusher arrived and scanned Joanna, but she didn't find anything. Dr. Crusher asked her, "Joanna, what is it?" Joanna's breathing was a little ragged, and she was having a huge emotional reaction, in terms of being raised on Vulcan. Then, she seemed to notice where she was and who was around her, and she whispered, "To monitor Borg activities?" The Captain nodded, and asked, "Is that a problem?" Joanna slowly recovered her shock, and said confidently, "No. I was just a little . . . surprised, that the Borg were still a threat." Then she asked to be excused, and left before Dr. Crusher or Captain Picard could ask anything else.  
  
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"Beverly," Picard asked once Joanna left, "What was that about?" Dr. Crusher shrugged, and answered, "I don't know, but her pulse shot up to about 200 when you said that you were monitoring Borg." Captain Picard decided to send a subspace transmission to Commander Shelby, and ask her what was going on. As he was composing it, Commander Data walked in, and said, "Captain, I couldn't help but notice that Ensign Joanna left the bridge in a hurry. I have done a little bit of research on her, and I thought you might like to know what I found out." Picard raised his eyebrow in the tradition of the Vulcans, and Data sat down to tell Picard what he had foundout.  
  
When Captain Picard and Commander Data left the Waiting Room, Picard gave Riker the conn and went down to Ten-Forward for a drink. He now understood Joanna's reaction, but he didn't understand why it would still affect her in such a way. It had been a long time ago, and the doctors had done everything in there power to make her forget. But, he thought, Maybe the doctors missed something. He decided to have a talk with Joanna as soon as they got a bit closer to the Klingon Neutral Zone. Until then, he decided just to put it out of his mind.  
  
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Joanna sighed as she sat down in her room. She knew that the Captain was going to want to talk to her, as soon as he found out why she had reacted to his news the way she did. She hoped to avoid that confrontation for as long as she could, but she knew that with the crew that he had, he would find out her secret quickly. Perhaps he had already found out. She ran her fingers over her left temple, and could almost feel the implant that the doctors hadn't been able to get rid of. She could hear the faint whisperings in her head. Resistance is futile. She shuddered, and decided to meditate, to try and get these voices out of her head. 


End file.
